Arizona Daily Star censors Doonesbury comic strip

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I have read the Doonesbury comic strip religiously since it was first syndicated in the Arizona Daily Star. Last week I caught this report in the Arizona Republic, Papers debate using Doonesbury abortion law strips, but I do not recall the editors of the Arizona Daily Star publishing any explanation how they intended to address this in the Daily Star.

In today's Daily Star, a "replacement" Doonesbury strip is published on the cartoon page without any explanation or qualifier that it is a replacement strip.

In past years, the Daily Star published Doonesbury on its editorial page, and even when it did not, if there was a "controversial" strip, the Daily Star in the past published that strip on its editorial page.

So our sad small-town newspaper, protected by the First Amendment, is engaging in censorship of a cartoon strip that the editors deem "controversial." A cartoon . . .

Newspapers that engage in censorship are unworthy of their protected status under the First Amendment. The Daily Star editors should do the right thing and publish this week's "controversial" Doonesbury comic strip on the editorial page. Contact the editors to complain.

In the meantime, you can read this week's "controversial" comic strip at www.doonesbury.com.

UPDATE: In Tuesday's comics page, the Arizona Daily Star has added the qualifier "Doonesbury Flashback" to the strip. Still no editorial expalanation for its censorship of what the editors deem too "controversial" to publish even in the editorial pages of the Arizona Daily Star. I guess they just hoped no one would notice.

UPDATE: A friend of mine posted on Facebook:

The Arizona Daily Star's reader advocate directed me to the website homepage (where there is nothing) at first, rather than to their Facebook page, where the Star gives this notice:

"Editor's note: We decided not to run this week's Doonesbury story line because of its placement on our comics and puzzle page. Tucson schoolchildren read the Star through our Newspapers in Education program, and we know that comics and puzzles are among the favorite features of our youngest readers.

"In addition to the adult story line, this week's strips use language like transvaginal, rape, slut, contraceptives and genitals. Yes, those words appear in news stories, but such stories are easy for teachers and parents to spot and choose whether to discuss or not. That's not the case on the comics page."

No notice in the print edition of the newspaper, which is the only way most people read the cartoon page. Lame.